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In medieval Spain, the blind Jewish physician, Isaac of Girona, is revered for his skill as a healer. But it’s Isaac’s uncanny sense for what is fair and what is foul that proves to be the remedy in times of trouble…In 1354, Isaac’s young protÉgÉ Yusuf was about to leave for Sardinia, where uprisings against the King were at the boiling point. But then, the mild mannered Pasqual Robert fell victim to an attacker right under their noses in Girona. And with the deadly blade still show more lodged Pasqual’s back, all Isaac could do was make his passing as comfortable as possible…and bring his assassin to light. Pasqual was a quiet man, and his only known enemies were enemies of the King himself. But upon further inspection, it appears Pasqual had good reason to keep so quiet-and with a past like his, good reason to look over his shoulder from time to time. Now, even with the help of His Excellency, the Bishop Berenguer, it will take all of Isaac’s wit- and his ability to see beyond the surface- if the truth is ever to be found… show lessTags
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Member Reviews
I really enjoyed this book and I thought it was better written than Shortcut to Santa Fe. The author obviously has done a lot of research into this era and I learned a lot about life in Spain in 1354.
Although this series is called The Chronicles of Isaac of Girona in this particular book Isaac does not play a very large role. He was present when the murdered man, Pasqual Robert, arrives at the main gate of Girona with a knife stuck in his back. However, the main investigation into his murder is done by Oliver Climent, a friend of the deceased who travelled with him on the King's business. Another thread in the book has to do with the King's seige of Sardinia. The King's page, Yusuf, has been working with Isaac but questions have been show more raised about the appropriateness of an Arab living in the Jewish calle. So Yusuf travels to the King in Sardinia to get his permission to continue to live there. While he is in Sardinia he becomes aware of a plot to embitter the soldiers of the army so that the King will be forced to lift the siege. The solution of this sub-plot was somewhat ambiguous so I expect the next installment in this series will examine this problem again. However, the murder plot was resolved very nicely and there is even some happy romantic moments at the end.
There is a quote on the back from the Toronto Globe and Mail "Should go instantly to the top of any Cadfael-lover's list." and I would agree with that. I'll be looking for more of these books. show less
Although this series is called The Chronicles of Isaac of Girona in this particular book Isaac does not play a very large role. He was present when the murdered man, Pasqual Robert, arrives at the main gate of Girona with a knife stuck in his back. However, the main investigation into his murder is done by Oliver Climent, a friend of the deceased who travelled with him on the King's business. Another thread in the book has to do with the King's seige of Sardinia. The King's page, Yusuf, has been working with Isaac but questions have been show more raised about the appropriateness of an Arab living in the Jewish calle. So Yusuf travels to the King in Sardinia to get his permission to continue to live there. While he is in Sardinia he becomes aware of a plot to embitter the soldiers of the army so that the King will be forced to lift the siege. The solution of this sub-plot was somewhat ambiguous so I expect the next installment in this series will examine this problem again. However, the murder plot was resolved very nicely and there is even some happy romantic moments at the end.
There is a quote on the back from the Toronto Globe and Mail "Should go instantly to the top of any Cadfael-lover's list." and I would agree with that. I'll be looking for more of these books. show less
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17+ Works 1,002 Members
Series
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- A Potion for a Widow
- Original publication date
- 2001-12-01
- People/Characters
- Isaac of Girona
- Important places
- Girona, Catalonia, Spain
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Statistics
- Members
- 88
- Popularity
- 363,557
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.91)
- Languages
- English, French, Russian
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 3
